One Day at a Time
by suzie2b
Summary: Charley is taken prisoner by the Germans.


**Disclaimer:** _ **The Rat Patrol**_ **is not my property. They come out to play sometimes, then I send them home.**

 **One Day at a Time**

 **By Suzie2b**

 **Moffitt walked up to Tully, who was leaning on the jeep staring out into the desert. After stowing his bedroll in the back, he said, "Ready to go, Tully?"**

" **Do you and Troy think I'm distracted?"**

 **Surprised, Moffitt said, "What are you talking about?"**

 **Tully rolled the matchstick to the corner of his mouth and looked at the sergeant. "Do you think I'm distracted … not doing my job?"**

 **Moffitt smiled. "What brought this on?"**

" **I was talking to a couple of guys back at base. They said that I'm lucky I don't get transferred because Charley's considered a distraction."**

" **Tully, of course Charley's a distraction. She's a beautiful young woman and your wife. I can look at your face and know when you're thinking about her. But when it comes to doing your job out here, you are very much focused."**

 **Tully looked at Moffitt earnestly. "You'd say something to me if you thought for a second I wasn't, right?"**

 **Moffitt put a hand on the private's shoulder and nodded. "Of course I would. Without that focus I'd be in a lot of trouble. We all would."**

 **Troy and Hitch joined them and Troy said, "A coded message just came through from Captain Boggs. A convoy returning to Ras Tanura from Tunis was attacked."**

 **Tully tensed. "That's the convoy Charley was traveling with."**

 **Troy nodded. "They were hit hard. What's left is limping back to base. Five men and a woman were reportedly captured."**

 **Tully bit the matchstick in half and Hitch put his hand on his friend's arm. "Easy does it, Tully. We'll get her back."**

 **He nodded as he spit the two halves onto the sand. "Any ideas where the prisoners would be taken?"**

 **Troy looked at Moffitt. "Get the map bag. I've got the coordinates of where the attack happened. We'll start with that."**

 **############################**

 **Three hours later they were at the site of the attack. Trucks mangled by explosions still smoldered and the dead still lay where they'd fallen.**

 **Troy sighed. "Hitch … Tully, collect dog tags and bury the bodies. Moffitt, let's see what the map tells us."**

 **The two privates busied themselves with shovels, digging a mass grave for the bodies. One by one dog tags, rings, and watches were removed before the dead were laid to rest. Hitch and Tully were careful to place the rings and watches on the chains with the dog tags to keep the items together. They checked each of the wrecked trucks for any other personal belongings that could possibly be returned to their families.**

 **Under the seat in the cab of one of the trucks, Tully found a satchel. He knew it was Charley's before he opened it. The package she was to deliver to Captain Boggs was still there and intact. He took the brown envelope to where the sergeants were and handed it to Troy before putting the satchel in the back of the jeep. "Charley managed to hide this under the seat. Her delivery was inside … still sealed."**

 **Troy took the envelope and looked at the young private. "Don't worry, Tully. We'll get her and the others back."**

 **Hitch joined them and put all of the collected items in a canvas bag for safe keeping. "We're all done, sarge. Where are we headed?"**

" **Come here and look at the map."**

 **With a grease pencil, Moffitt circled an X he had previously made on the plastic covered map. "This is where we are now." He circled another marked location and said, "According to reports this is the only installation within fifty miles of here. It would make sense that the prisoners would be taken there for interrogation."**

 **Tully put a fresh matchstick in his mouth. "What's the terrain like around there?"**

" **Reports say there are hills with sparse vegetation. We should be able to find cover."**

 **Troy looked at his men. "All right. Let's shake it."**

 **############################**

 **Just over an hour later the jeeps were hidden behind a hill a couple of miles from the German installation. From on top of the hill Troy and Moffitt sat among the rocks and scrub using binoculars to scan the walls of the fortress-like installation. Hitch and Tully scouted the east and west sides on foot.**

 **Troy sighed. "What do you think?"**

 **Moffitt continued to check the landscape and the road leading to the front gate. "Looks like the only way in and out is through that gate. I can see the four of us getting in … but I have reservations about getting out with an extra six people. And we don't know what shape they'll be in."**

" **That's my thinking too."**

 **They heard the sound of engines and Moffitt grinned as he said, "Look there, Troy. It would seem that Hitch and Tully are thinking the same as we are."**

 **As they watched, a small column of trucks came into view on the road below and to their left. They could also just make out the two privates hiding on the side of the road. Just before the bend in the road that would put the column in full view of the installation Hitch and Tully hijacked the last truck. When the others were out of sight, they drove it back to where Troy and Moffitt waited.**

 **Tully got out from behind the wheel with a grin. "Thought maybe this would help get us in."**

 **Troy smiled. "Glad you two were thinking out there. We'll go in just before nightfall."**

 **The German truck driver had been a rather portly fellow. Moffitt had to put the coat on over his own to fill it out enough to be believable.**

 **Hitch and Tully emptied the truck of its cargo, but hung onto the medical kits and blankets they found. Then, when Troy announced that it was time to go, Moffitt got into the driver's seat while the other three got into the back.**

 **############################**

 **When they arrived at the gate, Moffitt was asked for his orders and he explained that he was with the column of trucks that had come in earlier. His truck had broken down and he was just now able to get there.**

 **The guard looked up at Moffitt and thought something seemed odd about him, but in the low light he couldn't put his finger on it. Since there had been a convoy earlier in the day, the guard decided to let the truck pass without further question. He signaled to a second guard to open the gate. "Lassen Sie passieren."**

 **Moffitt drove in and found an alley to park the truck in where it hopefully wouldn't be noticed. He ditched his German attire as he went to the back and looked inside. "All clear." Troy jumped out, followed closely by Hitch and Tully. "It looks like the main building is just ahead."**

 **Troy nodded. "Okay, let's all remember where we're parked."**

 **The four soldiers made their way carefully to the large, well-lit building. From past experiences, they knew that prisoners were usually held in basement cells.**

 **Troy led them through alleys until they came to the back of the building they wanted to get into. Two doors, both locked. The sergeant whispered, "Moffitt, pick a door and open it."**

 **With his lock picks, Moffitt made short work of getting them inside. It was passed dinner time and the majority of the staff had left for the day. It was quiet as they passed the closed doors of the offices. They came across one guard doing his rounds of the ground floor hallways. Tully silently took care of him with his long-bladed knife and he and Hitch dragged the body into what turned out to be a storage closet, where they hoped the body wouldn't be found before morning.**

 **Finding a dimly lit staircase, Troy led his team down. As he and Moffitt peered cautiously around the corner, they saw two guards sitting at a table playing cards at the other end of a short hallway that was lit by one overhead lightbulb and a small lamp on the table. There was a door on one wall and they were all willing to bet it would lead to the prisoners.**

 **Troy whispered to Moffitt, "Get one of them over here."**

 **Moffitt nodded. "Komm schnell! Ich brauche Hilfe!"**

 **One of the guards set his cards down as he stood. He looked at his partner and smiled as he reminded him not to look at his cards. "Schau nicht auf meine Karten. Ich werde gleich wieder für Sie da sein."**

 **He walked quickly to the other end of the hall and around the corner thinking that another prisoner was being brought down. However, the only thing coming down was the butt of Troy's gun on the guard's head.**

 **Seeing the feet of his fallen comrade as he was dragged out of sight, the second guard rushed to find out what was going on. He never saw the butt of the machine gun as it hit him square between the eyes.**

 **############################**

 **Using the keys that were found on one of the guard's, they unlocked the door and cautiously went inside. There were two rows of cells. They saw the five missing men in the cells. They were wearing only their underwear, tied to cots, gagged, blindfolded, and with their ears covered.**

 **Moffitt frowned. "Sensory deprivation."**

 **Troy nodded. "Hitch, watch that hallway."**

 **Moffitt started opening cells and he and Troy began to carefully release the men.**

 **Tully checked the remaining cells until he found Charley. "Oh my God! Sarge, bring those keys!"**

 **Charley was in just her bra and panties, tied to a cot, blindfolded, gagged, with her ears covered, just as the men had been.**

 **Moffitt hurried to Tully's side and quickly unlocked the cell door. "Uncover her eyes first so she can see you." He took his jacket off. "Here, she'll need this."**

 **Tully knelt next to the cot. He set his machine gun and the jacket on the floor. As he began to loosen the knot on the blindfold, Charley tried to pull away. When the blindfold and ear coverings came off, she blinked as Tully quietly said, "It's all right now. You're safe."**

 **Blinded by the sudden light and confused, Charley began to struggle as Tully began to remove the gag. He held her face so she would look at him and said, "It's me … Tully. You're safe now, Charley."**

 **She blinked several more times and her eyes started to focus. Tears welled as Tully removed the gag and then started on the ropes that held her to the cot with his knife.**

 **Tully swore under his breath as he saw the rope burns on her arms, legs, and abdomen and realized that she must have struggled against her bonds quite a bit. He heard her begin to cry softly and said, "It's okay now, sweetheart. We're getting out of here." With the ropes gone, Charley sat up and nearly passed out as the room spun. She gasped the grabbed hold of Tully's arm. He held her for a moment, "Slow down. Get your bearings."**

 **Tully helped her to stand and got Moffitt's jacket on her when Troy stuck his head in and asked, "Is she okay?" Tully nodded as he put an arm around her and led her out of the cell. "Good. Let's shake it."**

 **As they followed Troy, Tully saw that two of the cells still held prisoners, though they were untied and free of blindfolds and gags. "Sarge, what about them?"**

 **Without stopping or looking back, Troy said, "They didn't make it, Tully."**

 **############################**

 **Their exit was blocked. Guards walked the hallways as a captain gave orders, "Es sind Eindringlinge! Überall suchen! Ich möchte, dass Sie sofort gefunden!"**

 **Moffitt translated in a whisper. "They've apparently found the guard we hid in that closet. I don't think we're going out the back door we came in."**

 **Troy nodded. With four extra half-naked, unsteady people, it wasn't going to be easy getting out. After the guards and captain disappeared around a corner, Troy crossed the hallway and checked a door. It wasn't locked. He opened it and looked around the dark office. There was noise in the hall as more guards hurried in his direction. He ducked inside, just getting the door closed and locked as they filed passed. The doorknob jiggled as someone checked it.**

 **As soon as it was quiet again, Troy carefully opened the door and checked the hallway. He signaled the group to come inside the office. As Troy closed and locked the door again, Moffitt whispered, "Find a way out?"**

 **Troy pointed across the room with his gun. "That window."**

 **Hitch went out first and made sure the coast was clear. Tully went out next and helped Charley, then he and Hitch helped the other three ex-prisoners out. They followed Troy through dark alleys, ducking down when they heard German soldiers running by in the street looking for them.**

 **Finally, they made it to the truck. Moffitt and Troy got into the back and helped the others in. Troy said, "Tully, you drive. Hitch, you're shotgun. We're goin' out the way we came in."**

 **Tully lifted Charley up and sat her on the edge of the truck, but she didn't want to let go of him. He gently moved her arms from around his neck and said, "Don't worry."**

 **Moffitt gently got her up and moved inside.**

 **Tully started the truck and didn't hesitate to crash through the alley into the street. Gunfire immediately erupted from all around them. Hitch laid down as much cover fire as he could from the passenger seat, while Troy and Moffitt did the same from the back. A grenade was tossed, bounced off the left fender, and exploded, sending up a cloud of shrapnel and debris. Tully felt something hit his left arm, but didn't spare a glance as he barreled towards the gate.**

 **Once they got to where the jeeps were hidden, the rescued prisoners were wrapped in blankets and loaded into the jeeps. They didn't think they'd been followed, but they weren't waiting to find out.**

 **############################**

 **After driving hell bent for leather for an hour and were convinced they weren't being followed, Troy had Hitch led the way into a wadi. When Tully pulled up next to them, Troy said, "We'll take a break here. Hitch, head up top and keep your eyes open. Tully, get a fire going. Moffitt, check them for injuries while I break out the K-Rations and water."**

 **After checking the three blanket-wrapped men over and cleaning some minor rope burns, Moffitt had left them to eat and drink. He then noticed the blood on Tully's sleeve in the fire light. He frowned as he took the private's arm to look at it. "Did you take a bullet, Tully?"**

 **He looked at his arm. "Nah. I got hit by some debris when that grenade exploded next to the truck."**

" **We'd better get that cleaned up. Have a seat."**

 **Tully sat down next to Charley and she put her arms around his middle. He smiled slightly and kissed the top of her head as he noticed the untouched K-Ration box and canteen on the other side and put his arm around her. "How ya doin'?"**

 **Charley nodded against him. She hadn't uttered a word yet since he'd freed her.**

 **Moffitt got down on his knees and tore open Tully's sleeve to examine the wound with the flashlight he'd been using. "Well, that doesn't look too bad. I'll have it taken care of in no time."**

 **Those words roused Charley. "You're hurt?" She let the blanket fall from her shoulders as she crawled quickly around to where Moffitt was. "What happened?"**

 **Moffitt handed her the flashlight to hold as Tully said, "It's just a nick. Got hit by a bit of debris is all."**

 **Charley held the light as Moffitt cleaned and bandaged Tully's arm. "Well, it's a bit more than a nick, Tully, but it doesn't look too serious." Then the sergeant looked at Charley and said quietly, "The others have miner rope burns. I'm sure you do as well. Would you allow me to take a look and clean them up?"**

 **Charley gave him back the flashlight and pulled the jacket tighter around her. "No … I'm okay."**

 **Tully turned and they both saw the fear in her eyes. Moffitt said, "Will you let Tully take a look then?" When she nodded, he gave the med kit and flashlight to the private. "Take her on the other side of the jeep. That'll give you a bit of privacy to take care of things."**

 **Tully nodded, grabbed the blanket, and led Charley away.**

 **############################**

 **Tully gently cleaned Charley's injuries and bandaged the deeper abrasions on her wrists. He said, "You struggled hard against those ropes, didn't you?"**

 **Charley looked away and whispered, "They kept touching me. I could feel their hands on my arms and legs and stomach. I wanted to push them away, but…"**

 **Tully took her into his arms. "Shh … it's over now. You're safe." He backed away enough to button the jacket back up. "I want you to eat something now and drink some water." When Charley nodded, he stood up and brought her up with him.**

 **Troy saw them stand up and called quietly, "Hey, Tully, I'd like a word with you."**

 **He nodded and said to Charley as he wrapped the blanket around her, "Go stay warm by the fire. I'll be right there."**

 **After she walked away, Troy stepped around the jeep. "Is she all right?"**

 **Tully sighed. "Physically she'll be fine. Emotionally might take a little longer."**

 **Troy nodded. "I had a little talk with Moffitt while we were sitting on the hill overlooking that installation."**

" **Am I in trouble?"**

 **Troy smiled. "No, you're not in trouble. He mentioned your conversation with him about whether or not you're distracted."**

 **Tully pulled out a matchstick and put it between his teeth. "Oh…"**

" **I just want you to know that I agree with Moffitt. Charley could be one heck of a distraction for you if you let it be, especially when she's traveling with us. But I've never seen it happen with you and this mission really proved it. You kept your head, followed orders, and took care of business. If you'd been distracted, we'd never have gotten out of there alive. I want you to know that if this question ever comes up from command, we're all behind you one hundred percent."**

" **Thanks, sarge. I really appreciate that."**

 **Troy nodded. "Now, I think you should stay close to Charley tonight. She needs you."**

 **Tully asked, "What about sentry duty?"**

" **I'll take over after Hitch. Then Moffitt can finish the night. We'll be on our way as soon as it's light enough."**

 **############################**

" **I'm not staying here!" Charley argued when Dr. Baker suggested she stay in the hospital for twenty-four hours.**

 **Vicky tried to reason with her. "Charley, you're dehydrated and exhausted. You have injuries and a low grade fever. It would be best…"**

 **Charley shook her head adamantly. "I'm going home!"**

 **Tully heard Charley's voice as he walked in from having his arm looked at by another doctor. He went to her and put an arm around her shoulders. "What's going on?"**

 **Dr. Baker said, "We're trying to convince Charley to stay here for twenty-four hours for observation."**

 **Charley put her arms around Tully and clung to him as she looked up into his eyes. "I'm not going to lay on another cot. I want our bed."**

 **Tully understood what she was saying. He looked at Dr. Baker and Vicky. "Will it really hurt anything if she comes home with me?"**

 **Vicky pleaded. "She needs medical attention."**

 **Charley shook her head and tightened her grip on Tully. Dr. Baker saw her agitation growing and said, "I think this is one time I will relent, nurse."**

" **But doctor…"**

" **We've taken care of her abrasions. She's been given a shot of penicillin. What she needs now is rest … and right now I doubt she'll get that here. Take her home, private. Keep her calm and watch that fever. If it climbs to 102, get her back here."**

 **Tully nodded. "Yes, sir."**

 **The doctor looked at Charley and continued, "You need food and rest. Drink as much water as you can stand. I want to see you back her for a check-up tomorrow afternoon … sooner if you start to feel sick in any way. Understand?"**

 **Charley nodded and said softly, "Thank you."**

 **Vicky sighed. "Well then, let me get you a pair of slippers to wear and a few other things you'll need."**

 **Then they walked home with Tully keeping a protective arm around her. Charley didn't even care that she was being stared at be everyone they passed.**

 **They walked up the stairs and Charley stopped in front of the bathroom. "Want a shower."**

 **Tully smiled. "Okay, just let me go get a few things for you and the key. I'll be right back."**

" **Get a few things for yourself too. I don't want to be alone."**

 **Tully gently washed Charley from head to toe as the water cascaded over her. She wanted the feeling of strange hands gone from her skin. The only hands she wanted to feel were those of the man she loved.**

 **############################**

 **After their long, loving shower, Charley had put a dry bandage on Tully's arm before allowing him to apply the ointment Vicky had sent with them on her rope burns and abrasions. He button the top of her pajamas and gently bandaged her wrists.**

 **Tully took the thermometer out of Charley's mouth and read it. "Just shy of 101." He handed her another glass of water and asked, "Are you feeling hungry yet?"**

 **Charley drank it and handed the glass back. She shook her head and yawned. "Just wanna sleep."**

" **Sounds like a good idea." Tully closed the window and shutters to block out the afternoon light, then crawled in under the covers with her.**

 **Charley curled into his side and put her head on his shoulder. Tully reached up to turn the lamp off and she asked quietly, "Can we leave the light on. I'm not ready for the dark yet."**

 **Tully understood and put his arms around her and kissed her tenderly. "Anything you want, sweetheart. We're going to take this one day at a time."**


End file.
